Izola: The optimal tactic would be two pit stops

Saturday’s results from the tire manufacturers’ perspective were summarized by Mario Isola, director of racing programs at Pirelli…

Mario Isola: “Saturday was very interesting, although it is a shame that due to Russell’s accident the qualifying battle never reached its climax. I wanted to see how the battle for pole position would have gone, as there could have been at least four drivers competing for it.

The sprint was also exciting, there were many duels on the track and the outcome was difficult to predict until the end of the race. The 19 laps of the sprint gave us and of course all the teams an excellent opportunity to test how Medium tires will perform over a long series, as these tires will be the most popular choice in tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

During the sprint, few riders held back, everyone attacked, so we were able to gather interesting information, but it didn’t surprise us.

On this circuit the losses during a pit stop are not that great, about 20.5 seconds, so the fastest way to cover the distance is to use the tactic of two pit stops. Moreover, nine of the ten teams already used one set of hard tires during training yesterday.

Clearly the most likely choice would be to use two sets of C3 and one set of C2. Our preliminary analysis suggests that it is best to start at C3, then move to C2 between the 16th and 22nd rounds, and return to the C3 composition between the 35th and 41st rounds, and on the second Medium set to to cross the finish line

Those looking to spend the final stint in C2 can schedule their first pit stop between laps 11 and 20, and their second between laps 32 and 38.

Finally, there is a third tactical option, although its use is unlikely: start on soft tires of the C4 compound, with a pit stop between the 10th and 14th laps, put C2 on the second segment (pit stop between the 34th and laps 40). ), and finish the race in C3.”